Love Made The World Go 'round
by tealeyedmoon69
Summary: He promised her. "I love you too. And I'll always love you." But what happens when it's time for him to move on? Is eight months enough for this broken teen to start to love again? AU, IchiRuki.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: My first quarter ends on Friday, and I have a lab report I should be doing, but I'm pretty sure that this is more important.**

**I know I haven't updated In With A Bullet in a little while, but that's because I have NO IDEA what the hell's going to happen in the story, and nobody wants to tell me what they think should happen (shrugs). So, it's on a temporary hiatus until I get some ideas. **

**Italics are flashbacks. Bold italics are thoughts. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. That's Tite Kubo. If I owned Bleach, Chappy would rule, and all the little Chappies would all gang up and eat Orihime. I mean, c'mon, how amusing would that be? Pretty, right? Yeah, in case I didn't mention this, this fanfic is ICHIRUKI, so…yeah. (Orihime die!)**

**Chapter one: **How it all began

"_C'mon, stay with me." His brown eyes looked into her's, their beautiful orange tint surrounded by blood, so much blood. He winced in pain, glass continuously digging into his arm. Ignoring the pain, he reached around their seatbelts and held her; waiting for the paramedics he prayed would come. _

"_Ichi-go?" she said, groaning as she tried to move._

"_No, no, stay where you are."_

"_What happened?" she whispered, barely managing to do that._

"_Nothing bad," he said, trying so hard to reassure her. "We just got a little hurt is all." __**C'mon, c'mon, c'mon. Where the hell are the paramedics? **__Out of all the places to crash, they'd have to choose the worst. It could be a while for them to be found in the wooded area, deep in the country backwoods._

"_Ichigo? I'm a bit sleepy." Orange eyes started to close, so slowly. Her hair spilled in front of her face as the rest of her started to go limp. "Ichigo," she whispered. "Will we ever meet again?"_

"_Don't leave me," he pleaded._

"_Promise me…"_

"_What? I'll do anything. Just stay with me!" He could hear the desperation in his own voice._

_She smiled. "Promise me you'll love me forever." The smile froze on her face, and she coughed up the smallest amount of blood. _

_Ichigo could hear the sirens approaching. "Stay with me," he begged once more. _

"_I…love…you Ichi-go —" She coughed again, and the coughs eventually turned into gasps for breath._

"_I love you, too." Ichigo blinked back tears. "And I'll always love you._

" _Forever, Senna."_

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Ichigo."

Ichigo looked up at his father.

"Ichigo," Isshin repeated again. "It's a new year."

Ichigo didn't speak. Isshin sighed, sitting down on his son's bed carefully. Even though all of Ichigo's wounds-broken ribs, countless cuts and bruises, nn."s love you. Forever,d uo turned into uo the smallest amount of blood. ime. thouya broken arm- had healed, Ichigo still looked like her did when he'd first been pulled out of the car and put on a stretcher. Broken. Even though eight months had passed, nothing had made a difference.

"Ichigo." Isshin cleared his throat. "It's time you started living again. I've enrolled you into Kinshara. Since you've completed all of your schoolwork, you can still go into your senior year."He looked at his son, who refused to stare him in the eye. Instead, he was looking at an overturned frame.

Isshin turned to leave, but for the first time in eight months, Ichigo spoke. "When do I start?"

Isshin stared at his son's door, his mouth wide open. He quickly snapped it shut, a small pop resonating through the room. "The first of next month."

Even though he couldn't see it, he knew Ichigo nodded. He left his son, trying to hide his joy. Finally, after eight long months, he was finally starting to get somewhere with his son.

"Hey, Karin."

Karin looked up in time to see Tatsuki throw her things down, taking a spot on the sidewalk next to Karin.

"Hey." Karin knew what was coming next.

"So," Tatsuki said, stretching. "How's Ichigo?"

"I don't know," Karin said, repeating the same thing she always said when Tatsuki came.

A door slammed, and Karin and Tatsuki looked up. There stood Ichigo, looking out over the yard.

Tatsuki recovered first, jumping up and tackling the orange-haired teen. "Ichigo!" she screamed. Ichigo looked around, startled. His eyes landed on Karin, and she shrugged before grinning.

Tatsuki stepped back, outstretching her hand and slapping Ichigo.

His head whipped back, and Karin stood there, shocked. "That's for ditching me this school year. Your dad told me you were transferring!"

Surprisingly, Ichigo smiled; a small, embarrassed smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Ichigo," Karin said, more to herself; had he really come back?

"Yeah, right," Ichigo said, his voice sounding still a little hollow. "Now you have less competition to worry about."

Tatsuki snorted. "Who were you kidding? You were never any competition anyways, Ichigo."

Karin looked at the two. Maybe, in time, her brother would come back.

**(A/N): Grr… I'm running out of time, so I need to end it there. I have a lot more I wrote, but I really wanted to get this up today. I'll type the rest later and wait for reviews . Next chapter…Ichigo goes to school! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I love mint Oreos. They're just so delicious. .**

**My quarter ended! I'm not sure if I should be happy or not, cuz now my parents will have to see my crappy grades. XD. Okay, they're not thaaaat bad. I hope.**

**Does anyone know how old Ukitake is compared to Byakuya? Because everyone that writes about the two says they're about the same age. Okay, maybe not **_**everyone, **_**but some people do. For the sake of this story, they are. Yeah, but if anyone knows how old they are compared to each other, I'd be interested to know. :D**

**Thank you all for reviewing, favoriting, and putting me on alert. I love you all! (In a non creepy sort of way…)**

**Italics in the beginning are side conversations that Ichigo hears.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. That's Tite Kubo. **

**Chapter two:** New Beginnings

"Welcome back students, to Kinshara High. To those of you who are here for your first year, I hope you will have a great year with us."

Ichigo looked up from his phone, not the only one ignoring Principal Yamamoto. He caught the last few words the elderly man was saying.

"I expect only the best from all of you…"

"_That's Kurosaki."_

"The_ Kurosaki?"_

"_Yeah." _

"_What's he doing here? Didn't he go to Karakura? Did he get kicked out or something?"_

"_Who knows?"_

"_Well, I heard that one of his friends was killed."_

"_Dumbass, it was his girlfriend."_

"_Ohmygod, how?"_

"_Did he have anything to do with it?"_

"_Is he a killer? Because I don't want to be in a school with a killer. O god, we're gonna die! We're gonna die!"_

"_Shhh! Shut up! He might hear us!"_

Ichigo gripped his phone tighter, his eyes staring at its screen again. Why couldn't they all just shut up about it? He found himself straining to hear their conversation, but it ceased.

"And you all can find your classes now."

Shit… Ichigo stood up with the rest of the students and he lost even a trace of the conversation as the talking surged. He followed the students out of the auditorium, taking a left down a hall to his first class. Damn, this school is a fancy piece of bull.

Ichigo observed all of the different grades, all of their students dressed in their specific colors. He glanced down at his all black attire, remembering how ridiculous it made him look. He scowled, watching students move away from him. This was going to be a looooooong year.

Rukia Kuchiki looked over her shoulder and sighed. "Of course," she murmured angrily to herself," on the _first_ day of school, I'd have to be late." Her brother dropped her not-so-happy sister off at the school's office, telling her he'd pick her up later. She slammed the door, trying to get some satisfaction from it. She was only slightly disappointed when he didn't even flinch, and, passing her papers to the head secretary, she started to class.

Rukia blew a strand of her hair out of her face, staring down at her arm. Covered by her black hoodie, she couldn't even see the Chappy Bain-Aid that covered the tiny hole where the IV had been placed. She could barely feel the ache of her side when she walked, and her skin was almost back to its normal color. She continued on the path she had memorized in the years she'd spent at this school, stopping in front of class 1-3. She yanked the door open, waiting for the teacher to stop what he was doing.

The teacher was Mr. Ukitake, someone she had known for many years. They had gotten along really well. He unlike everyone else, knew the real reason why Rukia was out, and he supported her when her brother didn't. He just smiled at her and pointed the board, continuing his speech. She slipped into one of the empty desks, starting to take notes.

"Hey Rukia," someone said, and Rukia chose to ignore it, until she had a paperclip thrown at her. Rukia glared at the person, and much to her dismay, it was Marechiyo Omaeda. He was, who she thought to be, a pig. Staying back for the third year in a row, he was still too stupid to figure out how much he repulsed Rukia **(sorry to those people who like him, I just needed a character…does anyone actually like this guy? He kinda needs to stop eating so much food in important parts though. Okay, I'm done.)**

Coming to her rescue was Renji, one of her childhood friends. She smiled at him, but she could see the concern in this eyes. Even he, whom she'd known for all of her life, didn't even know.

Rukia turned away from him, unable to stare him in the eye. She let her hair fall in a curtain, shielding her. Making her believe that she was unseen, even for a moment.

The bell signaled, and Ichigo sighed in relief. He wasn't hungry- he barely ate enough, and his family and friends were worried about him; he just couldn't eat- but he needed to get away from his annoying classmates, with their questioning gazes and rumors. As he started out of his class, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out. _One new text message, _the screen read. Flipping his phone open, he saw it was from Tatsuki. "we miss u here. It seems too quiet w/o u nd Keigo fighting."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, unable to find the need to text her back. She'd understand. He just wasn't in the mood for hospitality right now.

Even though he dismissed her, Ichigo couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. He wasn't the only one who was devastated by what had happened. Tatsuki had been so close to her, and he didn't have to imagine what he was feeling. He still felt it every day. It may have been nine months, two days, twelve hours, and fifty-four minutes ago since she had died, but it still felt like the first minute had. Utterly, completely, lonely.

"I didn't see you at the assembly," Soi Fon said to Rukia as they left school, Renji, Rangiku Matsumoto, Toushirou Hitsugaya, Shuuhei Hisagi, Izuru Kira, and Momo Hinamori also present.

"You came in late, too," Renji added. "What? The great Miss Kuchiki too good for school?" he teased her.

Rukia smacked him. "Try the pompous Byakuya"-she spat his name out-" doesn't feel like getting his royal ass up."

"It's a new year," Rangiku said, "and you still hate him that much?"

"Yes."

Renji yawned. "It may be a new year, but it's still boring as hell. " He fanned himself with his hand. "And hot." He looked over at Rukia. "Aren't you dying?" He stare pointedly at her black sweatshirt, the one all the others had discarded.

"I'm fine." In truth, Rukia really was warm. She took a sip of water, unwilling to take her sweatshirt off.

"What's happening over there?"

Rukia looked up to see what Shuuhei was talking about. "What is it?"

"I dunno," Rangiku said, "some kind of fight?"

"Fight?" Renji stood up. "Let's see…holy crap."

"What?" everyone asked.

"It's Omaeda and Zaraki against some guy." His tone turned to one of awe. "No way."

Rukia smacked him. "What the hell's happening?"

"That guy's winning," Toushirou said.

"Who is he?" Kira asked.

Toushirou answered. "Kurosaki Ichigo. He transferred here from Karakura High. He's a senior also."

"Kurosaki Ichigo?" Renji said. "_The _Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"No," Toushirou said, his voice filled with sarcasm, "the other one."

"Well, it's over now." Shuuhei was right. People cleared away, and Ichigo was left standing, Omaeda and Kenpachi on the ground.

Ichigo wiped the blood off of his chin, and he winced as his hand hit his lip. It had been split open, and he was going to have to see someone about it. Can't go to Dad, he thought. Great, what's he going to think? First day of school and I already got into a fight.

The two people he had just fought groaned on the ground. He looked at them in contempt. He didn't really mean to go that far, but they deserved it. Telling him that she was just a worthless bitch, one who needed to die…He clenched his fist, wincing at his scraped knuckle. Damn guy had a lip piercing.

"Hey!"

Ichigo turned around to see a group of people just staring at him, about ten meters away. It was a girl with orange hair that had called out. She looks like Orihime, he thought. I just hope she isn't as stupid.

Ichigo chose not to answer, waiting for her to say more.

"I'm Rangiku!" she said, running up to him. Oh, god. She's worse than Orihime. She looked behind her, motioning for the others to come forward.

"Nice work, by the way," Rangiku said, looking to the two on the ground. She looked at Ichigo up close, her eyes narrowing. "You're hurt."

Ichigo wiped at the blood that had started to drip off his chin again. "I'm fine."

The kid with red hair snorted. "Yeah, right."

"You should go to the hospital." Shuuhei looked over at Ichigo. "You need to get your lip fixed."

"I'm fine," Ichigo insisted, and the others dropped it.

After a minute, Rangiku spoke up. "Are you coming with us?"

Ichigo looked at her. "Uh, no."

"You don't even know where we're going," Rangiku pouted. "We're going to the Seireitei," she said, visibly brightening.

God, she's bipolar, Ichigo thought.

Ichigo sighed. "I'm going that way," he said, feeling that Rangiku would never leave him alone if he didn't say anything.

They were walking down the road, with only Rangiku's constant talking to fill the air, when someone screamed out Ichigo's name.

Everyone stopped when the carrot top flew to the ground, tackled by…

"A girl?" Soi Fon said, totally amused.

Ichigo sat up, Tatsuki already up. "What the hell?" he yelled at her.

Tatsuki saw the blood, already drying on his face. She smacked him in the head.

"Uh…" Renji had no idea what was happening, as did the others. Soi Fon was laughing.

"Dammit, Tatsuki!" Ichigo said, standing next to her. He cringed, rubbing his head. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Tatsuki sighed. "I told Isshin that I would make sure you made it in one piece. Obviously, that didn't work." She looked over at the others. "Who're they?" she said quietly, making sure they weren't heard.

"I don't know," Ichigo said. Blood was still dripping down his face.

"You need to have your father look at that," she said, pointing to his lip.

"Yeah," Ichigo said.

"Why'd you get into the fight?"

Ichigo's eyes hardened. "Because."

"C'mon, Ichigo," Tatsuki said. "Let me guess, Senna?"

He looked away, which Tatsuki took as a yes.

"Ichigoooooooo!" Tatsuki and Ichigo looked to Rangiku. "You coming?"

Tatsuki looked at him, a grin spreading across her face. "Urahara's?" she guessed.

"Shut up." Ichigo watched as Tatsuki smiled, turning to join the others. It was going to be a very—_interesting_— walk.

**(A/N): Ahhhhhhh, I shall end it there…kinda lame, I know, but I wanted to introduce them and stuff like that. It actually turned out longer then I thought it would. Accomplishment…**

**I hope everyone liked it. I'm pretty sure the ending was a little pointless, or at least it seemed that way to me. **

**Please review! I love hearing from everyone, and they make my day. And if anyone likes HitsuKarin, check out In With A Bullet and please give me feedback on it cuz I'm reaaaaalllly stuck on it. O.O **

**Review please! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I haven't updated this story in a while, and I'm feeling bad about it….Don't worry, I have a few days of for Thanksgiving and I'm going to spend some major time on my fanfics-after I finish my volcano project. Oh what the hell am I kidding? XD- and maybe even starting a Death Note one. I have a new obsession, and it's called Mello and Matt. 3**

**Anywhoosell, this is probably going to be a crappy chapter, because I'm so distracted right now. As of Thanksgiving, it'll officially be one month until Christmas, and I know that most of the things I want have to do with mangas. Psh, I'm obsessed. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Which is a good thing, cuz I'd probably screw it up somehow. XD**

**Chapter 3:** A turn of events

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, trying to ignore Tatsuki's questioning gaze as they started to actually move, considering that Tatsuki had stopped them a few meters from the school's entrance.

"No offence," Tatsuki said as she took her jacket off, clearly ignoring the stares she was getting, "but who the hell are you guys?"

"Tatsuki, shut up," Ichigo said.

"Who are _you_? " Renji countered, earning a punch from Rukia.

"I'm Rangiku," the girl announced, yet again. "And this is Toushirou, Momo, Shuuhei, Rukia, Renji, and Soi Fon." She pointed everyone else out.

"Tatsuki," said girl answered in return. "And how do you all know Ichigo?"

Renji smirked. "We met about five minutes ago when Ichigo beat the shit out of two guys."

"Two?" Tatsuki said to Ichigo, smirking. "What? Are you losing your touch? God, even Uryu fights better than that."

Anger flared in Ichigo; the first time Tatsuki had seen anything in Ichigo in months. "That prick wouldn't stand a chance."

Tatsuki smiled. "You're right."

"Sooooooo," Rangiku said. "What are you doing here, Tatsuki?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, "what _are _you doing here?"

Tatsuki shrugged. "I needed to go to Urahara's, and I was told by Isshin that I 'needed to make sure that good for nothing boy came home alive tonight'," Tatsuki said, making air quotes at the last part.

"Who's Isshin?" Renji asked.

"Ichigo's father," Tatsuki said, and Renji nodded knowingly.

"Ridiculous," Ichigo said, choosing to walk faster. He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to block out everyone else. Which, unfortunately, was hard to do with Rangiku.

Rukia was only slightly amused by the stunt with Ichigo and his friend Tatsuki, still preoccupied by the reason why she was late. As if in response to her thoughts, her arm started to ache. "Frickin Byakuya," she said under her breath.

Byakuya must have really good hearing, Rukia thought, because he chose that moment to call her. Renji and Rangiku looked over at her, and she answered the phone.

"Rukia." No Hello, nothing. It was business as usual with him.

Well, two could play at that. "What?" Rukia said, annoyance slipping into her voice.

"Where are you?"

"On a road, walking. Don't worry," she added, "because we made sure not to drink and drive."

"This is not funny, Rukia," he said, a little loudly.

"Yeah, because I think this is hilarious!" Rukia said. "What do you need?"

"It's Hisana."

Though Rukia had heard that phrase so many times, the way Byakuya said it made her blood run cold. There was so much desperation in his voice, and something she'd never heard from him before-fear. "What is it?" she whispered. She had stopped walking now.

"She had an asthma attack. We're at the hospital right now."

"Pick me up," Rukia immediately responded.

"I think….it would be best if you stayed," Byakuya said slowly. "She's just sleeping now. I'll call you if anything happens, so stay close."

"Alright," Rukia said, hanging up the phone. She looked at the others, who had stopped walking a little ahead of her. Well, everyone except that Ichigo kid. She continued forward. "What?" she said to Renji's questioning gaze.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." She started to walk again, leaving the others to catch up. "Let's go."

Rukia wasn't paying attention, wrapped up in her own thoughts, and she started to walk into the road. She heard the car's horn a little too late. "Hey! RUKIA!"

Someone screamed. Renji? No, not him. But then who…?

Rukia didn't have any time to think about that. All Rukia could do was watch as the car came forward, brakes trying to skid to a stop. She knew though. It was going way too fast; it was going to hit her. She closed her eyes tightly, already sentencing herself to her death. Her world went quiet, and she was lifted from the ground…

**A/N:**

**AHHHHH! I'm so horrible! Poor Rukia, I'm sorry! **

**Sooooooooooooooo, how was that cliffie? I hope no one's too mad about that, but I couldn't help myself. I'm so horrible. I will definitely start working in the next chapter right away, and it should be out by next week. (I'm aiming for Friday, cuz I have a day off.) If I get some reviews, I may be subjected to update sooner…. Hint hint. ^.^**

**Oh, and about Hisana… it'll be explained a little later.**

**Sorry it's so short. Next chapter shall be longer. **

**Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: AHHHHHH!**

**This chapter's going to be shorter…sorry. I needed to leave off at the part I did, and the next part will be up as soon as I can get it.**

**It's my bff's birthday today. I'm going to her house in a lil bit. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Period. See, right there, after the Bleach. It's a period…get it? Hahahahahahahahaha… no. **

**Chapter 4: **Finding Kurosaki

**Ichigo's POV**

I couldn't think of anything besides getting away from all the annoying people that I had to work with. My head hurt, my lip was torn, and I felt like shit-to put it bluntly. So when the raven-haired midget decided to brush past me, I wasn't thinking about her. And she wasn't thinking about the road.

I looked at her, then back to the car that was being driven by a red-head that had more pressing issues sitting next to him. She had brown hair, I think.

"Hey! Rukia!" I heard Renji; I think it was his name, call out. All I could think about was Senna. Would she be the second girl to die that way in front of me?

I didn't think. I rushed into the road after her, picking her up and running out of the car's way. She was surprisingly light, and her eyes were closed tightly. She was bracing herself to be hit. She was that ready to die?

We made it across the road, and I put her down. The others rushed over, and I walked a few feet away so they could get to her. Once away, I sunk to my knees. It had been so close…what if I had been a second later? Rukia wouldn't even be here.

Would she be missed like- like S-Senna? It was even hard to think that name, and it had been eight months. It's not like I didn't think about her; she captivated my thoughts every second. Just like she did when she was alive.

"Ichigo…" I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw it was Tatsuki. The others were staring over at us, looking curious.

I got up, starting to walk away. "Wait," I hear Rukia call.

(2nd person)

"Wait," Rukia called, starting after him.

"Don't." Tatsuki put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Let him be."

"Why?" Rukia asked.

Tatsuki shook her head. "He just needs to sort some things out." She looked over at the girl. "Are you alright?" she asked her.

"Y-yeah," she said, following Ichigo with her eyes until he disappeared into the crowd. "I'm good. I just wasn't thinking."

Tatsuki frowned at her. Rukia's eyes were wide, and she seemed in shock. "I think you need to see a doctor or something."

"That might be a good idea, Rukia," Rangiku said, serious for once.

"I don't want to go to the hospital," Rukia protested.

"You don't need to go to the hospital," Tatsuki said. "I know someone who runs a clinic. You can get checked out by them."

"Who is it?" Renji asked.

"Ichigo's father."

"Kurosaki's dad runs a clinic?" Toushirou said, only mildly surprised.

"You don't have to go," Tatsuki said, "it's just a suggestion."

Rukia shook her head. "I'm fine."

Tatsuki shrugged, seeing that the girl wouldn't do anything. "Suit yourself."

Ichigo continued blindly through the crowd, having no real place he needed to go. Before he knew it, he was in a small alley. He sunk down near the dumpster, trying to forget all that had happened. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his hands into fists. He didn't want to think, didn't want to remember anything. Why had this all happened to him, and to Senna? He felt selfish for wishing it, but why couldn't it have been someone else in their place? Guilt washed over him at that thought. He leaned over and vomited.

Ichigo wiped his mouth on his sleeve, still feeling sick to his stomach. Home…I need to get home. He leaned up against the wall, his breath ragged. He couldn't do it.

His body didn't seem to be able to move.

"Why am I so weak?" he whispered to himself. He looked around to find he was alone. The sun was sinking rapidly, sending him into darkness. I'm screwed, he thought.

Tatsuki was doing her homework when her phone rang. She checked it, thinking it would be Rangiku again for the fifth time, but was surprised when it said 'Kurosaki'. She picked it up with a curious "Hello?"

"Tatsuki," Isshin sighed. "Please tell me you've seen Ichigo." His voice seemed like it held a lot of hope in the statement.

"I saw him earlier, but he ran off. Isn't he with you?" Tatsuki checked the clock. It had been at least three hours since she left Rangiku and the others, but maybe five since she'd seen the carrot-top.

"No," Isshin said. "He never came home."

Tatsuki closed her book. "I'll be over in ten."

"Thank you, Tatsuki," Isshin said before hanging up.

Tatsuki ran out of the house after shoving on a jacket. "C'mon, Ichigo," she said to the boy, knowing that he couldn't hear her. "Come home."

**A/N: Oh my god that is the worst chapter I've ever written. I'm sorry. And it's so short…ugh. **

**My update will be sooner; I'll start writing it tomorrow. Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Chapter 4: The Search

Tatsuki made it to the Kurosaki residence in record timing, having run the whole distance from her house. She bent over to catch her breath, and Isshin came up to her with a glass of water. She took it gratefully, downing it in a few gulps. "No news?" she panted, still a little winded.

Isshin shook his head. "It's not like him to run off," he said, obviously confused by Ichigo's action. "Did anything happen?" he asked Tatsuki.

Tatsuki felt all of the Kurosaki's eyes on her, and she unconsciously started to squirm. "He might have been thinking of…Senna." She took a breath before continuing. "We were walking with some others from his school and one of the girls accidently stepped into the road. She didn't seem to be paying attention. Ichigo ran out and saved her, but he might have compared her to Senna, and he took off after that. That was when I last saw him." Tatsuki remembered something. "He was hurt," she said. "He'd gotten into a fight before I came. It wasn't too bad," she tried to assure, but she wasn't quite sure herself if it was that bad.

Tatsuki had a sudden thought. "Did he maybe go to Chad's or Uryu's?"

Isshin shook his head. "I already called them and they haven't seen him. Chad is searching the town for him, and Uryu was going to called Orihime to see if she knew anything. I don't think they'd know where he is. You're the only one that he's kept in contact with." This was news to Tatsuki.

"Do you want me to check where I last saw him?"

Isshin nodded. "That would be appreciated."

"I'll call you if I see him," she replied, heading back into the night. She paused to smile at Yuzu and Karin. "Don't worry. The idiot couldn't have gotten too far."

It was irrational, Ichigo knew, to keep on stumbling around with no idea of where he was. It was almost like he was in a state; he couldn't stop even if he tried. He'd only felt this helpless once before, but he refused to think about that night. It was that night that had made him the way he was now, so confused and broken. He tilted his head up, looking for the moon. They used to do that a lot. When Ichigo was angry or needed to think, she could always find him on his roof, gazing up at the stars. After that, they made it sort of their thing to do. They'd spend hours staring at the stars and just holding each other.

No. He shouldn't be thinking about her. Ichigo pushed all of those thoughts out of his mind. He sat down on the sidewalk, turning his gaze to the ground.

Where was everybody? A small part of his brain was telling his to go home, but he really didn't know where home was anymore. He hadn't known in a while. His home felt like nothing more than a foreign place; all he did was stay locked in his room and avoid as many people as he could.

He would never admit it, but he felt that there was a huge part of him missing; a part that he'd promised to her in their last minutes together. And he just didn't know how to get it back.

Tatsuki returned to the street where Ichigo had saved Rukia's life. She couldn't see him, and decided to start down the sidewalk to where he'd disappeared into the crowd. Glancing from left to right every so often, she saw no signs of her orange haired friend. She sighed. Of course, he wouldn't be anywhere near here. It had been how many hours? She cursed herself silently and switched directions, unsure of even which way he had gone.

Tatsuki blamed herself for letting this happen. If only she'd held him back, followed him, he wouldn't be missing. She knew how fragile he was mentally, and saving Rukia had probably pushed him over the edge. Ichigo needed help, and soon.

A little bit later, she saw something on the ground and her heart sank: Ichigo's book back. Had he dropped it as he wandered through the town? Or was it left here by him? She picked it off the ground, and its strap felt warm. It must have been discarded only a little while ago. Unless someone else had picked it up, that meant Ichigo must be close by.

The wind picked up and blew harshly at Tatsuki. She shivered despite her jacket, and she started to run down the street. Ichigo was close, she knew it. She could only hope that he was okay, but something- instincts, maybe- told her that she wouldn't like what she'd find.

Rukia slipped into her house a little while after leaving Rangiku and the others. She took off her shoes and lined them up neatly next to her other ones before placing her bag carefully on a chair. She padded through the house silently, her footfalls echoing softly through each room. She passed Byakuya's office and the door was closed, signaling that he was not home right now. She let out the small breath she hadn't known she was holding, proceeding to the kitchen.

The silence in the house was calming and eerie at the same time. Before everything had happened, the house would be filled with soft music playing, and Hisana may have even sung along. But that all changed as Hisana's illness developed, and eventually worsened. Rukia closed her eyes.

God, she hated the silence.

Tatsuki was almost there, she could feel it. Her heart started to beat faster, and she was half afraid of what she would find. She rounded the corner, and she was right. There he was, sitting on the sidewalk. His head was down, but she could tell it was him from anywhere. How many orange haired teens could there be? She didn't seem to notice her as she came closer, her hand already slipping into her pocket to call Isshin. She broke into a sprint. "Ichigo!"

Pacing back and forth for the past few hours, Rukia couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong. Byakuya still hadn't could home, and she'd heard no word from him. She was sure she would have heard from him by now, and she regretted not going to the hospital earlier. If she had, none of this…_mess_, would have happened. She was going about to lose it when her phone rang. She grabbed it and answered. "Byakuya?"

"No," she heard Reni say, confused. "It's me."

Rukia sighed, frustrated. "Hey."

"Did you get the homework for Science?" he asked hopefully. Rukia hadn't even glanced over her homework. Rukia picked up her bag and took out the handout they'd been given.

"What do you need help on?"

"Alright," Renji said, and he launched into a long spiel on what he didn't get. Rukia only half-listened, praying that, for the first time in a long time, Byakuya would just come home.

"_Promise me you'll love me forever."_

"_Ichigo…"_

"_Ichigo…"_

"Ichigo!"

He looked up to see Tatsuki running to him, looking relieved and worried. As he saw her coming closer, something inside of him snapped. He looked around, finally taking in his surroundings. He had no idea where he was, and it looked like he had been gone for hours.

Ichigo stood up and Tatsuki plowed into him, crushing him into a hug. He stumbled a little bit before he held her up, her face buried into his chest. She was shaking-or was she crying? Ichigo couldn't tell.

Tatsuki pressed herself closer to him, and Ichigo held her. He realized something then. She was actually worried about him. He felt guilty for running off, and silently vowed to himself that he would never do that again.

"Baka," he heard her say softly, and Ichigo couldn't help but smile.

A/N:

1,322 words. I'm getting better. And it wasn't nearly as hard to write this chapter. My writer's block is getting a little better.

Don't worry. I'll explain about Rukia, Hisana, and Byakuya soon. And if it seemed a little like a Tatsuki x Ichigo moment at the end there…well, I'll explain that later, too. XD


	6. Author Note

**Author Note:**

**Hey, reeaaaally sorry I haven't updated in a while, I really didn't want any of my stories to go this long without an update. I'm not giving up on this story, but I've been uberly busy with the holidays and starting a new semester. I have a lot more homework , and I'm trying to write my own story along with a bunch of essays I still haven't started. I'll have a new chapter up by February break, which is a couple of weeks away. So please don't give up on me! **


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